Back to sewing again....finally.

 I am actually sewing again. It takes me to my happy place, which I have not been to in a VERY long time.  It feels really good to be creating once again, for the most part. More about that a bit later on.  This is the view from my sewing room yesterday, as round one was winding down and round two of the summer storm is on the way.  Thankfully, we did have a bit of a break on Wednesday and was able to get to town, although I am well stocked up as far as provisions, I had some things that needed to go out in the mail.

I know the new, will probably wear off soon, but I really hope not.  I have to admit, I am loving being snowed in, which is a surprise for me because I have never liked the cold. Even as a young kid, I didn't like it, for that meant having to go out in the better cold twice a day to break ice in the water troughs. Growing up in Eastern Southern New Mexico, we didn't really get snow, we got ice.  Ice would cover the utility wires, the fence wire and rails, the roads would become large sheets of ice.  My husband, who loves the snow, not so much.  He is getting a bit of cabin fever as all of his interest are outdoor activities.  

My hobbies and interest are all done inside a nice and toasty room. I am a passionate quilter that sews garments and doll clothes, that embroiders by machine and by hand, and has been known to crochet an item or two.  

Welcome to my happy space. As you can tell by the name of the blog, this is Dianna's Sewcial Craftology Den. Someday, this covid/pandemic farce will be over and I pray that we return to our normal lives.  I hope to host a friendship group that will meet in my Den, no worries about distance of chairs, touching the same table full of potluck dishes, and NO MASK.  I cannot do it yet, but I hope to some day. 

I thought that I would give a bit of a tour of my space, which I am totally in love with and thank God in my daily prayers for my home and this new chapter of life.  I struggle with if that is arrogant or materialistic, but there it is. 

You might be thinking that I have a ridiculous amount of fabric and supplies, but if you Google "fabric stash" and click on images, you find that I don't even come close to most quilters.  Now, understand that those shelves hold two different types of fabric.  Quilting requires 100% cotton and flannel, then you cut it all into small pieces and sew it back together.  I don't like shopping to be honest, so when I do, I stock up.  Which has been a good thing since the whole face mask trend has caused machines, fabric, elastic and thread to become almost non-existent in the stores, with some of the stores even having to close the doors for a time...depending on your states mandates. Not to mention the increase in cost of supplies. 

I am amazed, but not surprised, by how much of our domestic goods actually come from China.  The fabric, threads, yarns and such. A lot of emphasis is put on selling "American Made" and I admit that a good portion of quilt fabrics are. However, that also causes the average cost of those fabrics to be $12-$20 a yard.  When you realize that a smaller quilt such as a throw or twin size is going to require a minimum of 6 yards of fabric, the cost adds up. Most home quilters, that do the larger fancy decorative type quilts, might even have to send those quilts out to be quilted by a long arm quilter. Quilting services are charged by the inch, around $.20 and inch (average cost is usually between .17 and .25 cents in order to cover their labor at a decent wage). Are you adding all this up? Then you also have the cost of fabric for binding edge, thread, the batting that goes between the top and the back.  Most published estimates of a handmade quilt range from $600 to $700 for a throw or twin size quilt.  So when you see that hand made baby quilt on Etsy for around $200? The one that made it is probably not getting much for her time.

Now, as with all things there are ways of cutting the cost down. I  purchased this midrange quilting machine and frame so that I can quilt my own quilts. It is a Babylock Coronet on a 5 ft. frame.  It has a 16" throat space.  While I am able to up to a king size quilt on this frame, most of the quilts I make are baby, throw or twin size.  

I bought it three years ago and have not used it yet. Honestly, in our old house, while it just barely fit in the room, I was and still am a bit intimidated by it. And while the local quilt shop included free lessons on it, I have moved and it is an hour one way to the shop now, plus covid regulations, it just isn't going to happen.  Also, while the shop had the same exact set up in their shop, I really like learning on my own machine.  Each machine is a bit different.  The tension, the touch, reaction. I know it will take some time, but I really just want to learn on my machine, in my own room.  Kind of like taking driving lessons in one type of car and then taking the examine in a different one. 

I found out quickly that I would never be able to afford a long arm service.  They do have their place and are good people.  Each person has to decide if their quilt merits that service.  Are you making a quilt that is going to be an heirloom, passed down through the family?  Think really hard about that one because realistically when you give it as a gift it will probably be thrown in a closet or put on a spare bed, never being really used. Or you may find that all that work has been done for a baby quilt, to get spit up and peed on, because that is what babies do.  How the quilt is going to be used greatly determines the type of fabric you use and how much you really want to spend on it.  

I for one, do not mind in the least purchasing less expensive fabric from a chain store. Walmart, JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby all offer quite good fabric for about half the cost of a quilt store.  I like to support my local quilt shop when ever I can. Those types of stores have a true value, not only in their fabrics but in the classes, knowledge and support of the art.  If your area has a really good shop, with really great people, please do support them because times are tough right now and to be honest, not every shop has great customer service.

My apologies, this is getting rather long winded. In future post, I will share more information about the great art of quilting.  In my opinion, it is an art, not a hobby, even though I consider myself a hobby quilter. The next post, I will share the nightmare of a quilt block swap I found myself in. It all turns out in the end.  If you are a beginner quilter, or are thinking about taking up quilting, be sure and follow me on my journey. That's all for tonight.